Communication logging system

ABSTRACT

A communication logging system facilitates communications between two or more users. A secured database stores communications from each user, and the system notifies the intended recipients of the communications. The system records times of creation of the communications, times of access to the communications, and who created and/or accessed the communications. The communications may not be altered or deleted once recorded, so there is a permanent source of reliable evidence as to the content of the communications and information associated therewith.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/318,951, which is allowed, and which is a U.S. National Stage filingunder 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application Serial No.PCT/US2015/035878, filed Jun. 15, 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S.provisional Application Serial No. 62/012,612, filed on Jun. 16, 2014.Priority to the aforementioned applications is claimed pursuant to 35U.S.C. § 119, 35 U.S.C. § 120, and any other applicable statutes. Thecontents of the aforementioned applications are hereby incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties as if set forth fully herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a system that logs voice ails and othercommunications (also referred to herein as messages) between users in asecure and unbiased manner.

Background

Many voicemail systems and related systems are described in U.S. patentsand/or U.S. patent publications, such as: Meadows, et al., U.S. Pat. No.6,865,260; Barak; et al. U.S. 2002/0067810; Panjwani, et al., U.S. Pat.No. 6,928,149; Stelter, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,690,785; Claudatos, etal., 2005/0069096; Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 6,522,727; Espeut, et al., U.S.Pat. No. 5,657,376; Lamons, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,397; Brown, etal., U.S. Pat. No. 6,751,299; and Rossouw, U.S. 2002/0191759. Theabove-described references are hereby incorporated herein by referencein their entireties.

The prior art teaches various phone message systems. However, the priorart does not teach a system that is secure, unbiased, managed by aneutral third party (i.e., a party other than a party to thecommunications), and which stores not only the message, but also thetime that the message was left, the duration of the message, the numberof messages, if and when the message was retrieved, and other dataassociated with the message. The prior art also does not teach acommunication logging system that prevents users from modifying ordeleting the contents and associated characteristics of thecommunications, and that is maintained in a secure environment (e.g., adatabase) so the communications may later be referenced and relied uponby the courts, law enforcement, and the like. The present inventionfulfills these needs and provides further elated advantages as describedin the following summary and detailed description.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and usewhich give rise to the objectives described herein. As used herein, to“log” a communication means not only to capture the communication in atangible form, but also to create a record of data associated with thecommunication, as described more fully herein. Also as used herein to“enter” a message means to cause a message to be logged by the system,such as by leaving a voicemail, sending an email or txt, etc.

In one aspect, the present invention provides for a system that makes arecord of voicemails and other communications, and logs theircharacteristics for the purpose of documenting communications between afirst user and a second user. It is referred to as a “communicationlogging” system, as any type of communication may be logged and managed.The system may also be used to manage communications between more thantwo users, and may manage multiple groups of users wherein each groupincludes two or more parties. Such a system, for example, could be usedby many groups of mothers, fathers, and children and others involved incustody disputes. In this case, each group would have access asapplicable to their own communications within the group, but would nothave access to (and indeed would likely not be aware of) communicationswithin other groups. But the system would manage them all. Forsimplicity, the invention is described primarily with respect to onlytwo users of a single group, but the principles apply to additionalusers and groups.

The communication logging system has a message recording module forrecording communications (e.g., audio, visual, audio-visual, email,text, etc.) from a first user to a second user, and from the second userto the first user. An event database stores information associated witheach communication, such as the time it was recorded, the time(s) it wasaccessed, by whom it was accessed each time, and its length (in units oftime). The system also has a message alert notification module. Thenotification module alerts the intended recipient when a newcommunication has been left for the intended recipient. Typically, thecommunication will be in the intended recipient's “in-box,” which may bea single virtual in-box or a series of virtual in-boxes managed by thesystem, separated, e.g., by communication type. Communication type maybe based on the message format (e.g., email, text, voicemail, etc.), thesender, the dates, the projects, cases, or matters, or any other logicalclassification factor or combination thereof. The alert may be viaphone, email, text and/or other methods and/or devices.

The communication logging system is especially well-adapted tofacilitate and document communications between parties that are in highconflict, such as in divorce cases. The system facilitates the exchangeof information without the need for any in-person communication betweenthe parties. It provides for an unbiased and unalterable record of theparties' communications maintained and managed by a neutral third party.

The parties may agree (or be ordered) not to communicate with each otherin real time, and instead communicate primarily (e.g., for specificsubjects) or even exclusively by using the communication logging system.This agreement, understanding, or restraint may be pursuant to a courtorder.

The system should be monitored and managed by a neutral third party,such as a court-appointed Communication Logging system provider or ahired person or company. A court or other governing entity may also havecontrolled access to the system, for reviewing communications, accessingreports, etc. Inherently and as such, the system may promote more civilcommunications.

The situation of a couple going through (or having gone through) adivorce is used herein as an example, but the system may be used for anyother suitable application, such as communications between different ordisparate business enterprises, parents and children, businesses orprofessionals and clients, or any situation which could benefit from thefacilitation aspect and/or the data/evidence retention aspect of theinvention.

In one embodiment, the system includes: a user database configured tostore a password of a first user and a password of a second user; amessage recording module configured to record a communication from thefirst user to the second user; a message checking module configured toenable the second user to access the communication; a time-stamp moduleconfigured to generate a first time stamp comprising a time thecommunication was recorded by the first user and a duration of thecommunication, and a second time stamp comprising a time thecommunication was accessed by the second user; a user control moduleconfigured to enable the first user to change a first status of thecommunication and configured to maintain the first status from aperspective of the first user until subsequently changed by the firstuser, and configured to enable the second user to change a second statusof the communication and configured to maintain the second status from aperspective of the second user until subsequently changed by the seconduser; an event database configured to store the communication, the firsttime stamp, the second time stamp, and status information associatedwith the communication; and a master control module configured toprevent modification of the event database except following entry of anadministrator password that is different than the password of the firstuser and different than the password of the second user; and configuredto produce a report of selected contents of the event database includingthe communication, the first time stamp, and the second time stamp.

In another embodiment a method of the present invention includes:receiving a log-in request from a first user to confirm the identity ofthe first user and allow the first user to log in to a system;confirming the identity of the first user based on a first passwordentered by the first user, and allowing the first user to log in to thesystem based upon the confirmation; recording a communication from thefirst user in an event database; recording a first time stamp in theevent database comprising a time the communication was recorded and aduration of the communication; receiving a log-in request from a seconduser to confirm the identity of the second user and allow the seconduser to log in to the system; confirming the identity of the second userbased on a second password entered by the second user, and allowing thesecond user to log in to the system based upon the confirmation;delivering the communication to the second user; recording a second timestamp in the event database comprising a time the communication wasdelivered to the second user; and restricting access to the databasethrough a security module such that the first user is unable to modifythe event database when logged in using the first password, and thesecond user is unable to modify the event database when logged in usingthe second password.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a communicationlogging system having advantages not taught by the prior art.

Another objective is to provide a communication logging system thatstores the communications between a first user and a second user, andstores the characteristics related to the communications, so that theinformation can later be reported on and used with reliability andcredibility, such as in a court of law.

Another objective is to provide a communication logging system thatprevents users from deleting, erasing, or otherwise altering thecommunications.

Another objective is to provide a communication logging system thatdocuments characteristics associated with the communication, such as thetime that the communication was first recorded, the duration, by whom,when and by whom it was accessed, and when and what type of notificationwas sent by the system to alert the other party or parties that acommunication has occurred.

Another objective is to provide a communication logging system thatenables only secured access, e.g., via password, biometrics, or otheridentity verification (any of which may be deemed a “password” as usedherein).

Another objective is to provide a communication logging system thatautomatically sends out notifications to the intended recipients so theintended recipients know when a new communication has been left inrespective their in-boxes.

Another objective is to provide a communication logging system that ismanaged and maintained by a neutral and independent third party andprotected from having any of the communications or associatedcharacteristics modified or deleted by the users or any other party, sothe documented communications are credible evidence when presented tocourts, law enforcement, etc.

Another objective is to provide a communication logging system that isbacked up electronically. Other features and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from the following more detaileddescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, whichillustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of thepresent invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing a method of receiving and delivering acommunication in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is also a flow diagram showing a method of receiving anddelivering a communication in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The communication logging system 10 of the present invention facilitatescommunications between users, which may be audio, visual, audio-visual,or written (e.g., email, text, instant-messaging, or other manner), bynot only recording the communication, but also logging data associatedwith the communication, such as when the communication was entered intothe system, by whom, its duration, who accessed it and when, etc.Notifications of new messages are sent to the intended recipient,typically by the method(s) chosen by the recipient as specified in aunique user profile. Such methods may include phone call, voicemail,email, fax, text, posting on a secured server (e.g., accessible throughthe Internet and/or a mobile application). The communication loggingsystem saves all of the information (communications and associated data)in storage media such as an event database 46. The event database 46 issecured using well-known methods such as encryption, password access,and/or firewalls, etc.

The communication logging system 10 is especially well-adapted tofacilitating and documenting communications between parties in conflict,such as in divorce cases. In such cases, parties may be more likely tocommunicate in a civil manner knowing there is an accurate and reliablerecord of their communications, such as the content, frequency, andduration of their time-stamped communications, and of their retrieval ofcommunications from others. In addition, the parties may feel moreconfident knowing the communications are documented.

The invention allows for production of reliable evidence ofcommunications between the parties, which is extremely useful,especially in instances where there are “he said/she said” allegationsbetween the parties. The court or governing authority will have reliableevidence of the facts relating to the parties' communications, and thuscan make more informed decisions. The communication logging system couldalso be used in business applications. Businesses and their clientscould benefit from the protection of a neutral third party maintainingcopies of their communications, such as in stock trading and othercommunications pertaining to sales transactions.

Turning to FIG. 1, a block diagram of one embodiment of thecommunication logging system 10 of the present invention is shown. Thecommunication logging system 10 preferably runs on a server or othercentralized computer 25, and includes a message recording module 20, anddata storage such as a user database 40, the event database 46, andbackup storage 23. The storage may be physically or virtually separated,and may be operatively connected to the server 25 and/or messagerecording module 20 either locally (as shown) or by way of a network 24such as the Internet. Users may access the system 10 either locally, or(as shown) through network 24 via client hardware 26 such as phones,PCs, mobile devices, etc.

The network 24 may support various communications, such as phone, VoIP,text messaging, instant messaging, email, video, or any other form ofcommunication, or a combination of the aforementioned. In a preferredembodiment, the message recording module 20 supports a variety of thesecommunication protocols, so that users may communicate in a variety ofways for their mutual convenience. Such data storage devices 40, 46, 23,servers 25, and networks 24 are well-known in the art, and so thespecific design and selection of such devices and systems may bedetermined as needed by any person skilled in the art who desires toimplement the present invention.

The message recording module 20 should require a password and/or otherform(s) of security identification, such as a token-generated code, abiometric, etc., from the users, as described in greater detail herein.Security identification is required to document who the user is and thata communication or other action s performed by that user.

The communication logging system 10 further includes a clock as is knownin the art, used to document a date, time, and duration of eventsdescribed herein. The clock may be in any form known in the art, but ispreferably a digital clock controlled by the central computer 25.

As also shown in FIG. 1, the communication logging system 10 includes atime-stamping module 32 that indicates the time, according to the clock,that an event occurred. The event may be access to a message, retrievalof a message, leaving a message, an attempt at any of theaforementioned, etc.

In a preferred embodiment, the communication logging system 10 includesa notification module 34 for notifying one user that another user hasrecorded a communication, retrieved a communication, etc. For example,the notification module 34 may notify a user by text, telephonicmessage, email, etc. sent to the user's mobile device (such as a smartphone) or other device (such as a personal computer, tablet, etc.). Thenotification module 34 may also use the telephonic or VoIP system 26 tonotify the user or to leave a message on a standard voicemail account,optionally including a copy of the communication. Furthermore, thenotification module 34 may also generate an email transmission of eitheran alert for the user to check for the communication, and/or a copy ofthe communication. The email could optionally include a file thatcontains the actual message, or a text copy of the communication. Thoseskilled in the art can develop various alternative methods that are notdescribed in detail herein, and these alternative embodiments should beconsidered within the scope of the claimed invention.

The communication logging system 10 further includes a user database 40for storing identity verification information, user profiles, etc. Thisinformation may be entered and updated according to methods known in theart. The user database 40 manages identity verification information torestrict access of users to only contents of the communication loggingsystem 10 to which they are authorized to access. The user database 40and the event database 46 are preferably separate components of a singlerelational database; however, they may be separate physical databases asshown in FIG. 1 and/or may be controlled by separate applications.

The communication logging system 10 further includes a message checkingand retrieval module 42 for enabling a user to access and retrieve(e.g.; download, listen to, copy, view, etc.) a communication. Themessage checking module 42 may interface with phones, computers, or anyother communication system or device. Even if the communication isinitially given in a telephonic or audible form, the message may beconverted into another format (e.g., text, email, fax, audible, etc.) bya conversion module 36 using tools and methods well-known in the art.

The communication logging system 10 further includes an event database46 for storing the communications, the recording and access time stamps,statuses of the communications, and other data associated with thecommunications. The event database 46 associates these elements with thecorresponding users in the user database 40, so proper access may becontrolled. Administration of the system 10 may be implemented throughsoftware, but the actual administrator responsible for the system shouldbe a neutral third party. Typically, the administrator is agreed to bythe users, or is court-appointed. All of the modules described hereinmay be implemented via software 51 using various algorithms known tothose skilled in the art, and all of the modules may be part of anintegrated software system, or may be separate modular components. Ineither case, the modules are all interrelated in that they cooperate toaccomplish the tasks described herein.

In a preferred embodiment, a user control module 48 enables the users tocontrol the status of communications from their own perspective, torepresent how they would like the communication to be labeled. Forexample, after accessing a communication, one user may prefer to labelit as “delete”, “save”, “important” or some other user-definedstatus/classification. This concept of using statuses to classifymessages is similar to folders used with MICROSOFT'S OUTLOOK program toclassify emails. Thus, a particular message may have a different statusfor the first user when the first user accesses the system, as comparedto for the second user when the second user accesses the system,depending on how they each classified the message. Note, however, thatthese classifications/folders are to assist the users in organizing thecommunications in a desirable manner, but the content of thecommunications and the associated characteristics of the communicationcannot be changed or deleted by any of the users, even, e.g., for amessage classified as “deleted”, Classifying a message as deleted issimply analogous to placing the communication in a folder titled“deleted” for organizational purposes. Thus, the communications and allassociated characteristics remain in the database(s) for future access.Each communication is initially classified as “new,” or somethingsimilar, but its classification may change over time from each user'sperspective, based on each user's desired classification. When thecommunication is classified as new, the message alert notificationsystem 34 alerts the user to whom the communication is addressed thatthe communication is waiting to be reviewed.

A master control module 50 of the communication logging system 10includes an administrator identity verification that allows theadministrator secured access to all features of the system 10, andrestricts other users to authorized features only, e.g., processing ofcommunications the users have either entered or which were entered forthem. For example, an administrator may be able to print comprehensivereports on all communications, whereas a particular user may be able toprint reports involving only communications to which that user is aparty. This security aspect of the master control module 50 is importantto preserve the integrity of communications and data associatedtherewith, for use in court proceedings and the like. If there isdocumentation that an important message was/was not sent and/orreceived, a court would be more clearly able to make decisions aboutcritical issues, such as terms of child custody and/or visitation, etc.If one parent is not properly caring for the child, picking the child upor taking the child to various events (such as from school, or a sportspractice, etc.), or otherwise failing in his or her responsibilities,the court can review documentation of the facts, without obfuscationabout whether that parent knew of the event, received a certain message,etc.

Turning to FIG. 2, a flow diagram showing a method of receiving anddelivering a communication in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention is shown. The method begins at Step 200. At Step 210,a first user requests to log in to the system, is securely identified,and allowed to log in. The first user then accesses the messagerecording module 20 of the system 10.

Access may be by phone, text, email, or other means. At Step 220, thefirst user then enters a communication, such as by recorded message,text message, email, or any other suitable means, and the communicationis stored in the event database 46. The communication is associated ashaving been entered by the first user based on identity verification,and is associated as having been entered for the second user as theintended recipient based on information provided by the first user whileentering the communication, e.g., via prompts. At Step 230 the action ofthe first user (in this example, entering the message) is time-stampedby the time-stamping module 32. The time-stamp may include variousinformation, such as time the message was left (start and end), andduration. The time stamp information is stored in the event database 46along with the message.

The intended recipient(s) is/are then notified at Step 240 by themessage alert and notification module 34 that a message is waiting to beretrieved. The notification may be via a mobile phone, text message,email, voicemail, instant message, or other suitable form ofnotification. The notification or alert should be immediate, such as toa mobile phone, but it may be time-delayed. The notification also maynot be automatic, but instead be triggered only upon a query from theintended recipient or recipients as the case may be, such as by theintended recipient(s) logging in to a website, or calling in to a voiceresponse unit/voicemail system. In such a case, Step 240 would not occurdirectly after Step 230, but instead would occur only after Step 250during which the second user requests such notifications.

At Step 250, the second user (who, in this example, is the intendedrecipient of the communication from the first user) requests to log into the system, is securely identified, and allowed to log in. The seconduser then accesses the message checking and retrieval module 42 of thesystem 10 at Step 260, and accesses the message. The message checkingand retrieval module then delivers the message to the second user in apreset manner or a manner designated by the second user either duringthis Step, or as previously elected by the second user, e.g., duringprofile set up. At Step 270 the action of the second user (in thisexample, accessing the message) is time-stamped by the time-stampingmodule 32. At Step 280, the system then optionally notifies the firstuser that the message was accessed. Such notifications may be automatic,or as opt-in based on the first user's profile settings. The method thenends at Step 280. FIG. 2 illustrates a simple example of a singlecommunication from a first user being recorded for a second user, andthen being retrieved by the second user. Of course, a VRU menu or otherinterface (e.g., from a smart phone or web-based application) may beprogrammed as needed to present various options to any user logging into the system. This is reflected in the method illustrated in FIG. 3.

Turning to FIG. 3, the method begins at Step 300. At Step 310, a userlogs in as described herein. At Step 315 the system then queries if theuser wants to record a message. If YES, then the user enters the messageat Step 316 (similar to Step 220 of FIG. 2), the message is time-stampedat Step 317 (similar to Step 230 of FIG. 2), and the intended recipientsare notified at Step 318 (similar to Step 240 of FIG. 2). The user isthen queried at Step 335 to determine if the user wants to perform anyfurther actions. If NO, then the method ends at Step 340. If YES, themethod returns to Step 315.

If the user responds NO to the query at Step 315, the method proceeds toStep 320 where the user is asked if he or she wants to retrievemessages. If YES, then the user retrieves the message(s) at Step 321(similar to Step 260 of FIG. 2), the actions are time-stamped at Step322 (similar to Step 270 of FIG. 2), and the sender is notified at Step323 (similar to Step 280 of FIG. 2). The user is then queried at Step335 to determine if the user wants to perform any further actions. IfNO, then the method ends at Step 340. If YES, the method returns to Step315.

If the user responds NO to the query at Step 320, the method proceeds toStep 330 where the user is asked if he or she wants to performadministrative functions, which may include authorized reporting,updating profile information, leaving a message for the administrator,etc. If YES, the method proceeds to Step 331 where the user performssuch administrative functions, and then to Step 335 to either loop backto Step 315 for more actions, or end at Step 340. The options at Steps315, 320, and 330, of course may be presented in any order sequentially,or as various options from a single menu.

Access to the event database 46 is restricted through a security module54 such that the first user is unable to modify the event database whenlogged in using the first password, and the second user is unable tomodify the event database when logged in using the second password. Inother words, users logged in as such are not able to modify the contentsof the event database. Rather, the contents are permanent, and can bemodified (if at all), only by an administrator logged in using anadministrator password. The administrator is authorized to print reportson all of the activity within the system, including contents of themessages (e.g., actual audio recordings or printouts), and all dataassociated with the messages.

Any or all of the activity described herein may be conducted via amobile or smart phone application, or from a PC or tablet, or using anyother suitable protocol.

While the invention has been described with reference to at least onepreferred embodiment, it should be understood by those skilled in theart that the invention is not limited thereto. Rather, the scope of theinvention is to be limited only be the scope of the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for logging a voicemail communicationfrom a first user to a second user, comprising: receiving a phone callfrom a first user; confirming an identity of the first user based on asecurity identification provided by the first user; allowing the firstuser to access a system based upon the confirmation of the identity ofthe first user; recording in an event database, a voicemailcommunication from the first user communicated via the phone call;recording a first time stamp record in the event database comprising atime the voicemail communication was recorded and a length of thevoicemail communication; notifying a second user of the voicemailcommunication; confirming an identity of the second user based on asecurity identification provided by the second user; allowing the seconduser to access the system based upon the confirmation of the identity ofthe second user; delivering the voicemail communication to the seconduser; recording a second time stamp in the event database comprising atime the voicemail communication was delivered to the second user;restricting access to the event database such that none of the voicemailcommunication, the first time stamp record, and the second time stamprecord can be modified or deleted, thereby providing an unalterablerecord of the voicemail communication, the first time stamp record, andthe second time stamp record; assigning an initial first status of thevoicemail communication for the first user and an initial second statusof the voicemail communication for the second user, a “status” of avoicemail communication being a label associated with the voicemailcommunication for a particular user, and allowing modification of thefirst status by only the first user, and allowing modification of thesecond status by only the second user; receiving a request from thefirst user to change the first status of the voicemail communication;changing the first status of the voicemail communication in response tothe request from the first user to change the first status of thevoicemail communication, wherein changing the first status does notalter any of the voicemail communication, the first time stamp record orthe second time stamp record; confirming an identity of an administratorbased on a security identification provided by the administrator, theadministrator being a third-party agreed upon by the first user and thesecond user; allowing the administrator to access the system based uponthe confirmation of the identity of the administrator; receiving arequest from the administrator for a report comprising the voicemailcommunication, the first time stamp, and the second time stamp; andproviding the report to the administrator.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising receiving a request from the second user to changethe second status of the voicemail communication, and changing thesecond status of the voicemail communication in response to the requestfrom the second user.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the securityidentification provided by the administrator comprises a biometric. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the security identification provided bythe second user comprises a biometric.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe security identification provided by the first user comprises abiometric.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the security identificationprovided by the second user comprises a biometric.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the security identification provided by theadministrator comprises a biometric.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising receiving a request from the second user to change the secondstatus of the voicemail communication, and changing the second status ofthe voicemail communication in response to the request from the seconduser.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the security identificationprovided by the first user comprises a biometric.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the security identification provided by the second usercomprises a biometric.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the securityidentification provided by the first user comprises a biometric.
 12. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising notifying the first user that thevoicemail communication was delivered to the second user.
 13. A methodfor logging a voicemail communication from a first user to a seconduser, comprising: receiving a phone call from a first user; confirmingan identity of the first user based on a security identificationprovided by the first user; allowing the first user to access a systembased upon the confirmation of the identity of the first user; recordingin an event database, a voicemail communication from the first usercommunicated via the phone call; recording a first time stamp record inthe event database comprising a time the voicemail communication wasrecorded and a length of the voicemail communication; confirming anidentity of a second user based on a security identification provided bythe second user; allowing the second user to access the system basedupon the confirmation of the identity of the second user; delivering thevoicemail communication to the second user; recording a second timestamp in the event database comprising a time the voicemailcommunication was delivered to the second user; restricting access tothe event database such that none of the voicemail communication, thefirst time stamp record, and the second time stamp record can bemodified or deleted, thereby providing an unalterable record of thevoicemail communication, the first time stamp record, and the secondtime stamp record; only after the voicemail communication has beenaccessed by the second user, notifying the first user that the voicemailcommunication was accessed by the second user; assigning an initialfirst status of the voicemail communication for the first user and aninitial second status of the voicemail communication for the seconduser, a “status” of a voicemail communication being a label associatedwith the voicemail communication for a particular user, and allowingmodification of the first status by only the first user, and allowingmodification of the second status by only the second user; confirming anidentity of an administrator based on a security identification providedby the administrator, the administrator being a third-party agreed uponby the first user and the second user; allowing the administrator toaccess the system based upon the confirmation of the identity of theadministrator; receiving a request from the administrator for a reportcomprising the voicemail communication, the first time stamp, and thesecond time stamp; and providing the report to the administrator. 14.The method of claim 13, wherein the security identification of the firstuser comprises a biometric.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein thesecurity identification of the second user comprises a biometric. 16.The method of claim 15, wherein the security identification of the firstuser comprises a biometric.
 17. A voicemail communication logging systemfor logging a voicemail communication from a first user to a seconduser, comprising a computer having one or more processors executinginstructions to implement software modules, the system comprising: astorage device having a user database having stored therein a securityidentification of a first user and a security identification of a seconduser; an event database configured to store voicemail communications,time stamp records associated with the voicemail communications, andstatus information associated with the voicemail communications; amessage recording module configured to: a) receive a phone call from thefirst user; b) record a voicemail communication from the first user byrequiring the first user to access the system using the securityidentification of the first user; c) electronically receive thevoicemail communication from the first user via a communicationprotocol; d) associate the voicemail communication as having beencreated by the first user based on the security identification of thefirst user; and e) store the voicemail communication in the eventdatabase; a message checking module configured to: a) enable the seconduser to access the voicemail communication by requiring the second userto access the system using the security identification of the seconduser; b) access the voicemail communication stored in the eventdatabase; and c) electronically transmit the voicemail communication tothe second user; a time-stamp module configured to: a) generate a firsttime stamp record comprising a time the voicemail communication wasrecorded by the first user and a length of the voicemail communication,by identifying the time the voicemail communication was received fromthe first user and determining the length of the voicemailcommunication; b) generate a second time stamp record comprising a timethe voicemail communication was accessed by the second user, byidentifying a time the voicemail communication was accessed by thesecond user; c) store the first time stamp record in the event database;and d) store the second time stamp record in the event database; a usercontrol module configured to: a) control a status of the voicemailcommunication by enabling the first user to change a first status of thecommunication and storing the first status from a perspective of thefirst user in the event database until subsequently changed by the firstuser, a “status” of a voicemail communication being a label associatedwith the voicemail communication for a particular user; b) control thestatus of the voicemail communication by enabling the second user tochange a second status of the voicemail communication and storing thesecond status from a perspective of the second user in the eventdatabase until subsequently changed by the second user, wherein changingthe status of the voicemail communication does not alter any of thevoicemail communication, the first time stamp record or the second timestamp record; and a master control module configured to: a) preventmodification or deletion of any of the voicemail communication, thefirst time stamp record, and the second time stamp record in the eventdatabase, such that the event database provides an unalterable record ofeach of the voicemail communication, the first time stamp record, andthe second time stamp record; b) produce a report of selected contentsof the event database including the voicemail communication, the firsttime stamp, and the second time stamp; and (c) provide administratorsecured access to obtain a report by: confirming an identity of anadministrator based on a security identification provided by theadministrator, the administrator being a third-party agreed upon by thefirst user and the second user, allowing the administrator to access thesystem based upon the confirmation of the identity of the administrator,receiving a request from the administrator for a report comprising thevoicemail communication, the first time stamp, and the second timestamp; and providing the report to the administrator; wherein thesecurity identification of the first user comprises a biometric.
 18. Thevoicemail communication logging system of claim 17, herein the securityidentification of the second user comprises a biometric.
 19. Thevoicemail communication logging system of claim 17, wherein the messagechecking module is further configured to notify the first user when thesecond user accesses the voicemail communication.